The Bachelor Outing
by Deepy
Summary: Jack takes Will and Norrington out for a drink in Tortuga. And yes, there's a probable reason why Norrington is with them, you just have to read and find out. Specks of romance, lots of singing, and bottles after bottles of rum!
1. The Bachelor Outing

A/N: This is my second POTC fic, hope you like it.  Sorry for any OOC-ness, this was written on a whim, and currently un-betaed as my beta is sick for now and I felt it was best not to bother her.  And there aren't a lot of Norrington fans I know.  Oh well, do the best one can.  If anyone spots a lot of mistakes in here, feel free to e-mail me at ditto102@yahoo.com and I will be sure to correct them and repost it.  Cheers!  I do not own the song in this story, which is called "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" and I thought it fits really well

The Bachelor Outing

Norrington has accomplished a great many tasks in his time, going from a simple navy sailor to commandeering an entire fleet.  He had always set a high standard for himself and accomplished anything he set his mind to, even when they seemed difficult, he didn't mind a challenge and it was rare that he dread it.  He's single-handedly chased down every pirate ship in the Caribbean and had graciously shown each pirate the noose.  He had defeated an army of ghost, and had been through a number of battles in his time.  He would never admit to being actually afraid, nor did he find such tasks difficult.  But tonight was different, never in his entire life, had Norrington be forced to do anything so difficult, and he dreaded it every passing minute.  

"Come Commodore!  Let Jack show you the finest pub in all of Tortuga!"

Norrington had to fight to keep himself from capturing the pirate and clamping him in irons, which was his tendency to do with pirates.  But that wouldn't do at all for that pirate was the best man of Will Turner (much to Norrington's dismay, both to that fact, and the fact that the governor had allowed it) and it would not please Elizabeth.

"I do not care for this situation at all," said Norrington.

"I agree, I don't think we should be doing this Jack," said Will, looking around, and dodging the people who were running past them and falling in front of them.

Norrington did not care for the scenery (neither did Will, one other thing they had in common besides Elizabeth), which consisted of madness, mayhem, and everything that Jack Sparrow loved, and what Norrington detested.  It sickened him, the sight of drunks parading the streets, urchins running around and stealing from unwary travellers (which Norrington was not, and therefore, he kept a firm grip on his purse and his sword), and especially, prostitutes selling themselves for only a few coins.  

"Nonsense!  It's tradition for the best man to give the groom a bachelor party," replied the pirate.  

"Then why didn't you tell Elizabeth about it?"

"Why worry the strumpet when she could be happy doing those…things women do before weddings?"  

Needless to say, Jack hadn't told Elizabeth where he and Will were going.  All she knew was that they were going to take care some old business of Jack, a few days before the wedding.  Norrington had to hand it to him, that pirate was an awfully good liar.  Elizabeth had not been happy with it but she had made Will promise to come back as soon as possible, and had asked Norrington to go with them to make sure they came back in time (and because she was still, admittedly, quite suspicious of the pirate).  Norrington had reluctantly agreed, though he hated playing baby-sitter, especially to Jack Sparrow, but he had done it to please her.

It had hurt him greatly when she turned them down in favour of marrying Will Turner, one whom he had always considered below him.  He still harboured feelings for the beautiful girl and he doubt that they will fade quickly.  Yes, he had been able to do whatever he set his mind to but not when it came to marrying a fine woman and starting a family.  For some odd reason, he had never been able to accomplishing that task, which, for other men, seemed to be the simplest of all.  And now, seeing Will Turner, a lad almost half his age, doing just that, well, that did not give him any reason to drink and be merry.  Which was precisely why Sparrow had dragged the two of them down there.  

"Ah!  Here we are!  The Red Damsel!  The greatest pub in all of Tortuga, where every man could be happy just drinking his days away!"  Norrington and Will looked at each other, not really caring to go inside.  The sound of yelling, shouting, and the occasionally punches could be heard outside.  "Will, my lad!  Prepare to get one last taste of freedom!"  He then went inside, with Will following him.  Norrington didn't move.  

"How do I get myself into these situations," he said to himself, though he had an idea of the answer.  Then he took one step, then another, closer to the doorway.  He felt as if he was walking towards his doom, and was prepared to say good-bye to self-respect when he felt a push, a shove, and then…he was inside.  Good-bye self-respect.

Norrington looked around, at the singing drunkards, and the battling drunkards, and the women sitting upon their laps.  He suddenly felt extremely out of place, being one of the few who were clean and sober in the place.  Jack and Will had settled themselves in front of the bar, Will looked just as out of place as he did, with his hair nicely combed and a clean shirt on.  Norrington took a seat beside the lad, folding his hands in front of him.  

"Anything to drink fellas?" asked the barmaid, a pretty redhead who was wearing a bodice that was dangerously low, exposing a good deal of cleavage.  Then she saw Jack and her eyes darkened.

"Minnie!" he said happily before getting a good slap from the maid.  Norrington hid a smile that was playing on his face at the action, priceless, yes, but quite unladylike.

"It's 'bout time ya came back here, Jack Sparrow," said the maid, her hands on her hips.

"So sorry, luv, but been a bit busier than expected, what with the pillaging and all," answered Jack, most obviously flirting.  

"Well then, didja bring me anything?" she asked, folding her arms upon the table and leaning towards the pirate.  

Jack smiled, his eyes diverting downwards.  "Well, of course luv, ye don't think I've forgotten about ye."  He took out a ruby ring from his pocket, brandished it, and presented it to the maid, who took it with glee.  

"Well Jack," she said, after inspecting it closely and putting it on her slender fingers, "apology accepted."  She gave him a kiss on the cheek where she had slapped him.

"Well then luv, that ought to make up for that slap then, though I do know somethin' else that will make up for it even better," he said, winking.

She giggled, "Oh Jack Sparrow, you haven't changed a bit!  Now, what'll you three gents have to drink?"

"Give all of us a bottle or two of rum!  You don't object to a good rum, do you Commodore?"  

Truthfully, he detested the drink (preferring brandy), but then again, it would not do to be impolite in front of the natives.  "No, not at all."  Of course, when he looked back on that night, he would say that agreeing on rum was what started it all.  Well, the barmaid gave him a wink as she handed him the bottle (which was quite dusty), looking him up and down with a look of approval.  

"Well, cheers mate," said Jack, clinking bottles with his two companions.  

Norrington gave a sniff (dreadful stuff, rum was), before giving a hesitant sip.  He had to fight to keep it from going back the other direction; he was never one for rum, and for a good reason too.  Will seemed to be having the same problem holding down the alcohol.  Though perhaps, he was having a worst time for it since Norrington was sure the young man had never had hard liquor in his life.  

This notice didn't escape Jack, who was probably wondering what he was doing in the company of men who didn't drink.  "Come men!  Night's still young and many more bottles to go!"  He slapped Will across the backside.  

The lad turned to Norrington, then to Jack, "Cheers Commodore," before drinking down more than he probably should have.  He sputtered and coughed.  

"Good stuff, eh?"

He coughed again, "Sure, Jack."  

Deciding that maybe a little alcohol in his bloodstream will make the night go by faster, Norrington tipped the bottle and gulped down a huge amount.  The liquor burned his throat and tasted absolutely vile.  But the alcohol worked fast as he started to get a warm, queasy feeling at the pit of his stomach.  He stared at the bottle, tasted horrid but did have a fast effect.  He quickly finished the whole bottle, only to find another placed in front of him.  Yes, this was going to be a long night.

*

After a while, Norrington lost count of exactly how many bottles he had.  Three, four, maybe five?  He had a very high tolerance for alcohol, but had to admit, all those bottle of rum made him feel incredibly light-headed, and he had stopped feeling uncomfortable.  At the moment, Jack had his arm draped on Will's shoulder and was teaching him a song, something about pirates and eggs and lots of booze.  Though he had to admit, the song was extremely catchy.

"We devils, we black sheeps, we really bad eggs, drink up, me hearties yo ho!"  Sang the two of them, badly.  Norrington had half a mind to join them, but still had some rational thought in his head to decide against it.  Which reminded him, where was his hat?  

He shrugged.  Oh well, he could always have the crew buy him a new hat, maybe even a bigger one, with a nice peacock feather.  Won't that be absolutely stunning?  

He tipped the rum bottle again.  "Mr. Sparrow!" he spoke up amongst the singing, "Leave the singing to somebody with talent!"  

"Well then, Commodore, why don't you astound us with your beautiful voice!"  

"Very well, prepare to be amazed!"  With a rum bottle in hand, he stood up quite gracefully for a drunk, straightening himself as best as he could.  

"There's a port on a western bay  
and it serves a hundred ships a day  
lonely sailors pass the time away  
And talk about their homes."

At this, possibly the whole pub turned to stare at him.  He was dressed like an official, be he sure wasn't acting like one.  But he did have quite a good voice (very nice alto), though a bit slurred due to the alcohol.    

_"And there's a girl in this harbour town_

(At this, he indicated Minnie, who was leaning against the bar.)  
_And she works layin' whiskey down  
They say "Brandy, fetch another round"  
She serves them whiskey and wine." _

He started to pick up pace as he sang, turning to Minnie now, as she stood there and smiled playfully.

_"The sailors say '"Brandy, you're a fine girl"   
"What a good wife you would be"   
"Yeah your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea"'_

Brandy wears a braided chain  
Made of finest silver from the North of Spain  
a locket that bears the name  
of the man that Brandy loves

(He made broad gesture from Minnie's neck to her waist, though she did not wear any jewellery, save for her new ring)  
  
_He came on a summer's day  
Bringin' gifts from far away  
But he made it clear he couldn't stay  
No harbour was his home_  
  
_The sailor said, " Brandy, you're a fine girl"   
"What a good wife you would be"   
"But my life, my love and my lady is the sea"_

(He turned away from her then, pretending as if to leave and gesturing to the door)  
  
_Yeah, Brandy used to watch his eyes  
When he told his sailor stories  
She could feel the ocean fall and rise  
She saw its ragin' glory  
But he had always told the truth, Lord, he was an honest man  
And Brandy does her best to understand  
  
At night when the bars close down  
Brandy walks through a silent town  
And loves a man who's not around  
She still can hear him say  
She hears him say   
"Brandy, you're a fine girl"   
"What a good wife you would be"   
"But my life, my love and my lady is the sea"_  
  
Possibly the whole pub, who was as drunk as can be, sang along with him.  

"Brandy, you're a fine girl"   
"What a good wife you would be"   
"But my life, my love and my lady is the sea"

Norrington took a bow, which was accompanied by many applause and shouts of, "More songs!"  He took another bow and was about to sing again when a scream pierced the air.  It was a woman!  In trouble!  A damsel near the Damsel!  "Gentlemen, before I continue, I must go rescue a fair damsel in distress!"  He drew out his sword, with much applause from his audience, took one final swing from his bottle, and ran out the pub door.  In a very undignified manner, then again, dignity had run off a long time ago.

"Should we follow 'im?" asked a drunk Will to Jack.

"Nah, 'e can take care o' himself.  Brandy, fetch another round!"  

Norrington followed the scream to an alley, and in his current state of mind, venturing loudly into a dark alley probably not a good idea, but there was a lady in trouble (though the presence of ladies in Tortuga was debatable).  His duty was to defend the innocent, rescue fair maidens, and all that good stuff!  

There were four ruffians surrounding a woman.  And she had the highest pitching scream he had ever heard.  "That is no way to treat a lady!"  He shouted to them, so much for element of surprise.  They turned and looked at him.  There was a person, hair (wig) dishevelled, clothes wrinkled, and drunk.  Yup, that really struck fear into their hearts.  

They surrounded him in a matter of seconds, all with leering grins.  Then, the first one charged…and got a very good knocking with the base of Norrington's sword.  There were swipes and yells following and the rest of them ended up with a good deal of scratches and cuts.  Norrington was drunk but he was still very adept with a sword.  More slashing, more dodging, well, this wasn't so hard, and in a few more seconds, he could get back to drinking.  Yup, good plan.  That was, until he felt a pain in the back of his head and the ground rushing up to meet his face.

_Well, that complicates matters a bit_, was his last thought before he feel unconscious.    

*

A/N: So…what do you think?  Leave a review and the second part will be up shortly.  Cheerio, faire readers!


	2. The Morning After

The Morning After

Will woke up with his head feeling as if someone had ran over it with a horse, complete with rider and a cart of heavy luggage.  This was the last time he accompanied Jack anywhere, and definitely the last time he drink rum (or any other kind of hard liquor for that matter).  Funny, the last thing he remembered last night was the sight of a very familiar face, then he must have fallen unconscious before it fully registered to him who he saw.  Of course, that person was in the same room with him at the moment.

He could feel a cool, soft hand was on his forehead, rubbing it slowly.  His vision cleared and he could make out the ceiling.  "It's about time you woke up, I was getting worried for you."  That voice, it sounded incredibly familiar.  The hand left, and Will turned to meet the gaze of his fiancée.  

Elizabeth was sitting on the bed, dressed in what appeared to be very wrinkled breeches and a loose jacket.  Her hair was dishevelled and messy, he had a feeling she had sleep beside him all night.  Nevertheless, she still looked absolutely radiant and his heart burst with happiness at the sight of her.  

"Here, drink this, it'll help with the headaches."  

He looked at the mixture, wary of anything liquid.  "What is it?"  

"It's tea."

"They have tea in Tortuga?"  

"Not exactly, but Emma had some at hand and she was kind enough to offer us some."  

"Emma?"

"You'll meet her later, after you get out of bed."  

She helped him up and he let her bring the liquid to his lips, it had a pleasant smell.  The moment it touched it, he immediately turned away.  "Are you trying to burn my lips off?"  Elizabeth put a hand on her hip.

"That is what you get for lying to me and sneaking off with Jack to go drinking, in Tortuga of all places!"  She said, quite angry.

"Wait, how did you find out?"  Oops, wrong thing to say.

Her eyes darkened.  "Believe me, I have my ways, let's just say I owe Anamaria a few gold coins."  

Will raised his eyebrow.  He should have known, he didn't know whether to be mad or happy with the female pirate.    

 "Will it be enough to say that I'm sorry and that I'll never do it again?"  He asked, taking her hands in his and caressing them with is rough fingers; that always worked whenever she got mad (which always managed to make her more lovely).  

A smile tugged at her lips, and her eyes relaxed a bit.  "For now, but I expect you to make it up to me when we get back to Port Royal."  

Will nodded, and brought his hand to cup her cheek, bringing her lips to his.  The moment when their lips almost touched, her face swerved and she kissed his face instead.  "I am not kissing you when you smell like alcohol."  Lots of shrieking and laughter followed this, and suffice to say, Elizabeth did kiss him nonetheless, a lot one might add.

"Elizabeth, we should have Commodore Norrington sing at our wedding," Will said when the displays of affection finally ceased.  

*

The sunlight shone through the windows and beat down on his eyelids.  He squinted them shut, but to no avail.  There was no more darkness, just the light and, now that he realized it, a substantial amount of pain.  He tried to turn onto his side, to discover that the muscles in his arm and chest hurt, as if something had ran on top of him the night before and had came close to breaking every bone in his body.  Which, now that he thought about it, could have been the case.  And to top that off, his head was throbbing away as if one of Will's hammers had been pounding non-stop on it all night.  Slowly, one by one, he played the events of last night back in his head, backwards.  Well, he knew he had been knocked unconscious by that gang in the alley, what in the world had he been thinking going in there so indiscreetly, and drunk.  Of course, he not needed to ask himself that because he obviously was not thinking last night.  

Yup, alcohol tended to slow, or even stop, the thinking process.  Then, thinking back before that, he let out a groan as he realized he had actually, God forbid, sang, in front of Jack, Will, and the whole pub.  Great, he might as well stay in this bed until the end of his days, that bloody pirate will never let him hear the end of this.  That bloody pirate!  Since when had Norrington been the type to drink away his troubles?  This was the absolute last time he went along with anything the pirate had in mind (the last time he did such, a good number of his men had been killed).  And this was definitely the last time he did Elizabeth a favour.  

He let out a sigh, what in the world was he going to tell her when he got back?  That he let her precious fiancée get drunk, and in the process, gotten drunk himself, sang, and got a good beating?  If the governor was to find out…  Norrington did not even want to think about it.  He shuddered inwardly.  Yup, staying in the bed was beginning to look even more appealing.  His head throbbed again at the thoughts.  He could not run away this, and he would accept the consequences of his actions as they came (and his headache along with everything-else-ache was the first one he would face).  

Deciding to stop thinking for now, he closed his eyes.  Perhaps sleep will bring him some temporary peace of mind.  Yes, the mattress wasn't comfortable, but it would do for now.  His eyes shot open again.  Mattress?  Why was he laying on a mattress?  How was he laying on a mattress?  Another ache vibrated through his head, and he decided to let the matter rest until his mind decided to produce painless thoughts.  

Just as he was about to drift off again, he heard the door open and softly closed.  He opened his eyes to see a maiden quietly made her way inside.  She was carrying a tray that contained a cup, and a bowl with a cloth.  He examined her closely as she came to stand beside his bed, placing the tray down upon the bedside.  She looked fairly young, a bit older than Elizabeth, with dark hair and eyes.  She seemed familiar to him somehow, but he couldn't place it.  

"Oh, how wonderful, you're awake."  She said, smiling, when she saw him.  "It's about time to, it's almost eleven.  I was beginning to fear you would never wake."  

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Emily Watts, sir, and I would like to thank you for rescuing me."  

So that was the reason she looked familiar.  "I'm sure it wasn't a very good rescue, being that I was..."  And he trailed off, too ashamed to even utter it.  How absolutely ungentle manlike, she most think him absolutely daft.

Instead, she chuckled a bit and dipped the washcloth into the water.  "No, you managed to drive them away.  It was a very heroic rescue nonetheless."    

He had a feeling she was just trying to make him feel better, but there was sincerity behind her words, mixed with some amusement.  Which reminded him, "How did I get back here last night?"  

"Mr. Sparrow and Mr. Turner brought you back.  This might sting a bit."  She dabbed the cloth upon the wound beside his eyes and lips, which did sting.  

He could imagine he wasn't too desirable to look at, and he immediately felt more embarrassed.  When she finished, he looked at her.  From what he gathered, she did not seem like a common bar wench, and she seemed educated.  Which led him to his next question.  "May I ask how a lady like you doing in Tortuga?"  

She smiled, "Well, how did you know I was a lady?"

"The circumstances point that you aren't from around here, and I could tell from your bedside manner and your amazing grasp of the proper English language."

Miss Watts poured some liquid into the cup, and handed it to him.  "Here, drink this, it'll help with the headache."  

"You're not answering my question."    

She thought for a moment, "Well, if you must know, I am a governess and sailed from England on a merchant ship that decided to dock here.  And that's all."

"Why do I feel as if there is more to that story?"  

"There is, but I think you should be getting your rest instead."

She did have a point there.  As curious as Norrington was, his head still ached.  Though talking to her did make it better.  He raised the cup to his lips, instantly recognizing the smell.  Tea!  Oh, glory of glories!  His headache felt better instantly.

"How in the world did you come by this?"   

She smiled, "Let's just say that I never go anywhere without tea."

"Then we have something in common, Miss Watts, though I seem to have neglected to this time around."

"Then you are somewhat lucky that I'm here."  

He touched the wound near his eye, "Well, I wouldn't exactly say 'lucky' since it was your presence in Tortuga that got me injured."

Her eyes narrowed.  "I did apologize, if you would like me to apologize again, I will," she said, obviously offended but trying to hide it.

"…No, the tea makes up for it."

"Well then, I'm glad I was useful in some way," she huffed, picking up the tray and heading for the door.  "I'll leave you with your tea, be dressed by lunchtime."

"Are you giving me an order?" He asked, partly serious, no one gave a commodore orders.  

"If you don't mind taking it, since from what I gathered, your judgement has not been very sound lately."  

Well, she did have a point there.  "Very well, but this is going to be the only time I take orders."  

"Do not be so sure about that, Commodore.  I'll see you at lunch."  She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.  

Norrington leaned back against the bed.  She was certainly an interesting person, someone he wouldn't mind getting to know better.  And she seemed charming enough.  This outing suddenly did not seem so bad anymore.  He took another sip of tea.  _Nope_, he thought smiling, _not too bad at all_.               

*

A/N: There, that was the second part, I hoped you like it and leave a review.  That's the end of bachelor outing.  Tell me if you want me to write something about the continuation of Norrington and Emily's relationship.  And I hope Emily didn't come off as a Mary Sue.  And look for a separate part of this story that deals with Anamaria and Jack's interaction.  I just love the two that I thought they deserved a separate story!  Oh well, blabbing too much, please review!  Reviews feed the muse and make nice fluffy stories come out faster!                


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